1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a fishing line spool with space for storing fishing line and attached fishing hooks. The spool can be removably attached to various sizes of plastic bottle so that together the spool and plastic bottle can be used in jug fishing and so that the spool can be removed from the plastic bottle to store the spool, fishing line, and hooks as a separate unit when they are not in use. A locking pin attaches around the fishing line on the spool to prevent the line from unwinding from the spool and as a means of regulating the length of fishing line extending from the spool.
2. Description of the Related Art
Jug line fishing is a popular sport among fisherman. Jug fishing involves using a jug line which consists of a floating device, i.e. usually a plastic bottle or jug, with a weighted line tied to it. One or more fish hooks are attached to the line so that the hooks extends from the neck of the bottle or jug at various spacing or lengths desired by the fisherman or as required by local fishing regulations. The hooks are baited and placed in the water with the jug so that the hooks drift below the jug and catch fish.
Jug lines are generally fished in groups on a body of water and boats are most commonly used to place and monitor the jug lines. The jug lines are baited and released a short distance apart. The jug lines then drift slowly across an area covering much more water than an anchored or stationary trot line arrangement.
Although, if one specific hot spot is very productive, a larger weight can be used at the bottom of the jug line to make it stationary so that the jug line will not drift over the water. Once a fish is hooked on the jug line, the jug will begin to bob erratically in the water. This bobbing action is often referred to as dancing on the water by jug fishermen.
The jug line is then tended by the fisherman, the fish is removed, and the jug line re-baited, and the process is repeated. This is an exciting and productive way to fish in that it offers fun coupled with suspense in that the fisherman never knows if the dancing jug may hold the big fish that every fisherman seeks to catch.
Conventional jug line fishing has some disadvantages. First, storage and transport of conventional jug lines can be a nuisance. Conventional jug lines normally consist of a line wrapped around the small neck or body of the jug, with the hooks inserted into the ball of line that is created around the neck or body of the jug when the line is wrapped around the jug. This arrangement for storing conventional jug lines often leads to a tangled nightmare with dangerous exposed hooks, barbs, and loose line.
Also, if the line is cut or broken from the jug, the entire line has to be retied to the jug. This is often a time consuming task and can be particularly difficult when jug line fishing at night.
Additionally, controlling the depth of the jug line is a problem, particularly when fishing in different depths of water and when fishing in varying fishing conditions. With conventional jug lines, the length of the line on the jug is generally the only depth that you have available. Some fishermen try to knot the line around the jug at the desired depth as a means of regulating the line length or depth, but this technique rarely seems to work and is a temporary solution at best.
Finally, with conventional jug lines, versatility of the jug or bottle size and shape is not an option. Many jug fishermen like to use a variety of shapes and sizes depending on weather and water conditions. However, with conventional jug lines, the shape and size of the jug on which the line is tied is the shape and size available for the fisherman.
The spool of the present invention addresses each of these problems. The present spool is provided with a spool area onto which fishing line wraps easily and neatly. The spool area also allows storage for greater lengths of line than would be possible on a conventional jug line. The fishing line is held on the spool area so that it does not slip off of the jug of a conventional jug line and become tangled.
The spool of the present invention safely holds hooks in the penetrable material that is provided between the double wall of the protective flange when the fishing line is not in use, thus making the hooks more secure and less dangerous to handle. Also, because the penetrable material is provided around the entire spool, the hooks can be inserted into the penetrable material at the necessary locations so that the line is tightly maintained on the spool and will not unwrap or become tangled due to the line being loosely held on the spool.
Because the spool of the present invention is provided with different sizes of female threads on one of its ends, it can be removably attached to any of a variety of sizes and shapes of plastic bottles by simply engaging the male threaded bottle neck into one of the female threads of the spool. This change from one bottle size or shape to another bottle size or shape does not require that the line be cut and retied to the new bottle as is required with conventional jug lines.
The spool of the present invention can be removed from one jug and attached to another jug quickly and easily in a matter of a few seconds by simply unscrewing the spool from the male threaded neck of one jug and screwing it onto the male threaded neck of another jug. The size of jugs employed can range from a small 16 ounce bottle to a jumbo 3 liter bottle, depending on the fisherman's personal preference.
Also, because the spool is detachable from its associated bottle, the spool, with line and hooks attached, can be removed from the bottle for storage in a tackle or storage box until the next time it is needed.
The locking pin of the present invention also allows the fisherman to select the desired length of line that extends from the jug by removing the locking pin from the spool and adjusting the line length. Once the line is adjusted to the desired length, the fisherman can be assured that the length will be maintained by reattaching the locking pin to the spool, thereby preventing the line from unwrapping from the spool. To change the length of the line and thus the depth of the hooks in the water, the fisherman simply removes the locking pin and takes up or lets out line from the spool to the desired length before reinserting the locking pin onto the spool.
The locking pin can also be used to hold the line from unwrapping from the spool when the entire length of the line is wrapped around the spool area in preparation for storage.
Finally, because the spool is so easy to thread onto or off of a bottle, and the line is so easy to wrap around the spool, to adjust in length, and to secure along with the hooks to the spool for storage, all of these operations can be performed by a fisherman at night when there is little or no light by which to see.